Foldable crate.



E. T. BOND.

POLDABLE CRATE.

APPLIOATION FILED OCT. 19, 1910.

Patefited Dec. 30,1913.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH C0,, WASHINGTON. D. c.

EDGAR T. BOND, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FOLDABLE CRATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 36), 1913.

Original application filed September 10, 1909, Serial No. 517,011.Divided and this application filed October 19, 1910. Serial No. 587,844.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR T. BOND, a cit Zen of the United States,residing at Chlcago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in F oldable Crates, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, the same being a divisionof application Serial No. 517,011, filed September 10, 1909, by me.

This invention relates to foldable crates or receptacles designed moreespecially for transportation and storage purposes, but which areadapted for use and can be used for other purposes.

The objects of the invention are: to construct a crate or receptaclethat will be light and easily handled, and at the same time will bestrong and durable in use; to enable the crate or receptacle to beunfolded or set up for use without trouble or inconvenience, and to bequickly and readily folded together so as to occupy but a small space ascompared with its unfolded or set-up condition; to form the sides andtop of the crate or receptacle of strands or bars made of wire or stripsof metal or other material of suflicient rigidity to furnish thenecessary strength for the crate or receptacle when unfolded or set up;to form two opposite sides of the crate or receptacle of foldable barshaving the pivots located adjacent to the bottom of the crate andforming the other two opposite sides of foldable bars having the pivotslocated in a higher plane than the pivots of the other foldable bars; tofurnish a slidable top which can be raised and lowered on the foldablebars of the body of the crate so as to occupy a raised position and tooccupy a position below the folding point of the bars when the crate isin its folded position; to furnish a lock for maintaining the bars in avertical position when the crate is raised or unfolded; and to improvegenerally the construction, arrangement and operation of the severalparts entering into the formation of the crate or receptacle as a whole.

The invention consists in the features of construction and combinationsof parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawingsFigure 1 is a side elevation showing the crateorreceptacle in its unfolded or raised position; Fig. 2, asideelevation, partly in section, showing the crate or receptacle in itsfolded position; Fig. 3, a detail, being a top or plan view of the topor cover of the crate or receptacle.

In the drawings, similar reference numerals indicate correspondingparts.

The crate or receptacle shown in Figs. 1 and 2 has end or side strips 1,attached to which is a bottom 2, and these parts may be made of wood orother suitable material. A series of studs or short post-s 3 is locatedon each end or side strip 1, and, as shown, each stud or post 3 isentered into a hole in the strip or rail 1 and held in place by a crosspin or wire a, or in any other suitable manner. Each stud or post 3 hasa tenon or tongue 5, through which passes a pivot 6 with the tenon ortongue 5 entered into the slotted end 7 of a post or rod 8, a post orrod being provided for each stud or post 3, and the stud or post 3 andthe bar or rod 8 constitute, when elevated, two sides or ends of thecrate or receptacle. The two opposite sides of the crate or receptacleare each formed of a series of studs or short posts 9, each entered intoa hole in the bottom 2 and secured in place by a pin or wire 10, or inany other suitable manner. Each stud or post 9 has a tongue 11, throughwhich passes a pivot 12, with the tongue 11 entered into the slotted end13 of a post 1 1, as shown in Fig. 1. The pivots 12 for the posts orbars 14: are in a higher plane than the pivots 6 for the posts or bars8, so that the posts or bars 8 can be folded downwardly and inwardly,after which the bars or posts 1 1 can be folded downwardly and inwardlyover the folded bars or posts 8, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

Two sides or ends of the top or cover each consist of a strip or rail15, and each strip or rail has a series of holes 16 for the passage ofthe rods or bars 8 in the raising and lowering of the top or cover. Theremaining two sides of the top or cover are each formed of a strip orrail 18, having a series of holes 17 for the passage of the rods or bars14 in raising and lowering the cover. As shown in Fig. 1, the cover isheld in its elevated position by means of cross pins 19 passing throughtwo or more of the posts or bars. The cover, in the construction shownin Fig. 3, is completed by a netting 20, but can be otherwise formed,and, if desired, can be a solid body.

The construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in which the four sides areformed of inwardly foldable bars or strands, can have the opposite posts9 set out of line, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to permit a closer foldingtogether of the crate or receptacle.

The construction of crate or receptacle of the present invention is onewhich enables or allows the top or cover to be raised or lowered on thebars or posts forming the sides of the crate or receptacle, so as toassume an upper plane as shown in Fig. 1 or be dropped to a lower planeas shown in Fig. 2, and when elevated or in the upper plane the covercan be held in position by means of the cross pins or keys 19, as shownin Fig. 1, or by other suitable means.

The operation will be readily understood from the foregoing description.

The crate or receptacle is brought into a folded condition by removingthe pins or keys 19 and allowing the top or cover to slide down on therods or bars until it reaches a plane below the pivotal point 6 of therods or bars 8, after which the rods or bars 8 can be folded inwardlyand downwardly on top of the cover, and then the remaining bars 14 canbe folded down over the folded bars 8, bringing the parts into theposition shown in Fig. 2, with the crate folded.

The advantages pertaining to the crate or receptacle of the presentinvention are apparent, and need not be described in detail. Suffice itto say that the crate can be readily and quickly unfolded and folded, isvery strong and durable and, at the same time, light and easily handled,and when folded can be stored away and occupy but a small space in aroom or other storing place.

It is not the intention to limit, restrict, restrain or confine theparts entering into the construction of the present invention for soleuse in foldable crates, and under the word crate is included coops forchickens, crates for the transportation of berries, vegetables or othercommodities, receptacles, carrying cases for eggs, folding boxes, casesor crates for the delivery of packages or bundles commonly put up ingrocery stores, meat markets and other retail stores, and other articlesin any general merchandise line of business, and for commercial use inthe delivery of packages to customers, patrons and consumers.

The gist of the present invention is in constructing the crate orreceptacle with all of its sides formed of rods or bars inwardly anddownwardly foldable, and employing a drop cover carried by the rods orbars, which cover can be dropped below the folding plane of the rods orbars and can be raised to its elevated position and there locked andheld; so that when the cover is elevated and locked a crate will befurnished which is strong, light and durable and which can be foldedinto a compact shape when not in use.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a foldable crate, the combination of a bottom, a top, four cornerposts, one for each corner of the crate, each corner post pivotallymounted at its lower end adjacent to the bottom of the crate to folddownwardly and inwardly and to be raised into a vertical position, aplurality of bars on two opposite sides of the crate arranged in linewith the corner posts, each bar separately and individually pivoted anddonwwardly and inwardly foldable from its pivotal point in the plane ofthe pivots of the corner posts and when folded lying parallel with andin the plane of the folded corner posts and to be raised into a verticalposition with the corner posts, and a plurality of bars on two oppositesides of the crate, arranged in line with the corner posts, each barseparately and individually pivoted and downwardly and inwardly foldablefrom its pivotal point located in a higher plane than the pivots of thecorner posts, and when folded overlying the folded corner posts and thefolded bars of the other two sides of the crate, and to be raised into avertical position with the corner posts, substantially as described.

2. In a foldable crate, the combination of a bottom, four corner posts,one for each corner of the crate, each corner postpivotally mounted atits lower end adjacent to the bottom of the crate to fold downwardly andinwardly and to be raised into a vertical position, a plurality of barson two opposite sides of the crate arranged in line with the cornerposts, each bar downwardly and inwardly foldable from a pivotal point inthe plane of the pivots of the corner posts and when folded lyingparallel with and in the plane of the folded corner posts and to beraised into a vertical position with the corner posts, a plurality ofbars on two opposite sides of the crate, arranged in line with thecorner posts, each bar downwardly and inwardly foldable from a pivotalpoint located in a higher plane than the pivots of the corner posts andwhen folded overlying the folded corner posts and the folded bars of theother two sides of the crate and to be raised into a vertical positionwith the corner posts, a top vertically slidable on the corner posts andbars of the sides, and means for holding the top in its elevatedposition, the top when elevated maintaining the sides of the cratevertical, substantially as described.

3. In a foldable crate, the combination of four foldable sides, eachside consisting of a plurality of separated bars, each bar pivotallymounted at its lower end to fold downwardly and inwardly and adapted tobe raised into a vertical position, the pivots for two opposite sideslocated in a higher plane than the pivots of the other two oppositesides, for two of the sides when folded to overlie the other two sideswhen folded, a bottom having the foldable sides pivot-ally mountedthereon, a top vertically slidable on the bars when standing upright,and means for holding the top in its elevated position, the top whenelevated maintaining the sides of the crate vertical, substantially asdescribed.

4. In a foldable crate, the combination of four foldable sides, eachside consisting of a plurality of separated bars, each bar pivotallymounted at its lower end to fold downwardly and inwardly and adapted tobe raised into a vertical position, the pivots for two opposite sideslocated in a higher plane than the pivots of the other two oppositesides, for two of the sides when folded to overlie the other two sideswhen folded, a bottom having the foldable sides pivotally mountedthereon, a top vertically slidable on the bars when standing upright,and locking pins passing through the upper ends of the corner bars forholding the top in its elevated position and maintaining the sides ofthe crate vertical, substantially as described.

5. In a foldable crate, the combination of four foldable sides, eachside consisting of a plurality of separated bars, each bar pivotallymounted at its lower end to fold downwardly and inwardly and adapted tobe raised into a vertical position, the pivots of two opposite sideslocated in a higher plane than the pivots of the other two oppositesides, for two of the sides when folded to overlie the other two sideswhen folded, a bottom having the foldable sides pivotally mountedthereon, a slidable rail for each set of foldable bars, the rails havingopenings for the bars and vertically slidable on the bars when standingupright, a top carried by the rails, and means for locking the railswith the bars when elevated and holding the top in its raised position,substantially as described.

6. In a foldable crate, the combination of four foldable sides, eachside consisting of a plurality of separated bars, each bar pivotallymounted at its lower end to fold downwardly and inwardly and adapted tobe raised into a vertical position, a bottom having the foldable sidebars pivotally mounted thereon for two opposite sides to fold down in ahigher plane that the other two opposite sides, and a top verticallyslidable on the bars when standing upright, substantially as described.

EDGAR T. BOND.

Witnesses:

A. L. PARsoNs, D. T. PARSONS.

Copies 01' this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0.

